Why legalizing marijuana is a bad idea

Baker Institute Viewpoints is a regular blog series that presents an array of views on a single issue. In this installment, five Baker Institute fellows and two guest experts will consider whether the United States should legalize marijuana. Each weekday from Sept. 17- Sept. 25, one of the seven writers — whose backgrounds include a biography of evangelist Billy Graham and a 30-year career in the Drug Enforcement Administration — will give his or her take on the issue.Today, Joan Neuhaus Schaan, fellow in homeland security and terrorism at the Baker Institute, writes that “legalizing marijuana sends our society down a slippery path based upon unfounded premises.”

What is the purpose for the push to legalize marijuana? Is it because there are those waiting in the wings who wish to legitimize their illicit endeavors and ill-gotten gains? Is it because there are designs on the funding used to combat illicit drug demand by those who want to find funds for their own programs? Is it because habitual users want to come out of the closet? Is it because it is viewed as a “silver bullet” against cartel violence? Perhaps all these factors and more come into play.

The first premise often proposed is that the war of drugs has been a failure. I disagree. First, we have no idea how much worse the drug consumption problem might be had the country had a laissez faire policy to drug use in the past decades. Second, drug demand reduction has been successful in the last decade, particularly amongst teenagers. According to Drug Enforcement Administration statistics released for the period 2000 to 2011, meth use is down 42 percent, cocaine by 48 percent, crack by 50 percent and LSD by 50 percent. Clearly emphasis by communities on education has paid off with teens. The drugs that have not seen the same levels of decline, misused legal prescription drugs and marijuana, have a different dynamic: one is already legal, and the other has seen significant time and energy devoted to changing the perception of its image and diminishing the danger of usage.

The second premise usually proposed is that legalizing marijuana will reduce the level of violence perpetrated by drug-related organizations. This argument also is a fallacy. Think of the cartels as part mafia and part sophisticated multi-national corporation. While absolute marijuana sales are substantial, marijuana is only a small portion of total profits. Approximately 60 percent of illicit cartel profits come from activities other than drugs. Of the 40 percent that does come from drug related activity, there are a variety of product lines including cocaine, meth, heroin, synthetic drugs (incense and bath salts), and illegal sale of legal drugs. In addition, marijuana is the one crop that is regularly grown by the consumer. This also does not take into account the substantial legitimate income cartels derive from the investment of ill-gotten gains into legitimate enterprises. The experience of recent years has engendered an escalating culture of violence in Mexico as rival parties strive for dominance and/or territory. When proceeds from just the United States are likely greater than the gross domestic product of any Central American or Caribbean nation, much is at stake.

Lost in the narrative of those who promote marijuana usage are the consequences to society as a whole. Marijuana is known to impair judgment and compromise decision-making. What happens to citizens driving after smoking? What happens when employees show up to work still high? States that have legalized medical marijuana, such as Arizona and Oregon, are still trying to sort out this issue. What are the options for others unwillingly subjected to the stupefying second hand smoke that also is more damaging to cells and DNA than cigarette some? How much will the chances increase that teenagers will enter the drug culture? Studies have found marijuana hinders the development of teenage brains. Where medical marijuana has been approved, it has become clear many without a medical need have received the card.

Drug legalization promoters often prefer to dismiss these arguments, rather than acknowledging their validity. Legalizing marijuana sends our society down a slippery path based upon unfounded premises.

Joan Neuhaus Schaan is the fellow in homeland security and terrorism at the Baker Institute, the coordinator of the Texas Security Forum, and serves on the advisory board of the Transborder International Police Association. She has served as the executive director of the Houston-Harris County Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council and on the board of Crime Stoppers of Houston, Inc.